Hou Yifu's meaning is crystal clear: unification is impossible. What matters now is strengthening military power to defend Taiwan! On May 2nd, according to media reports from Taiwan, Hou Yifu reiterated his stance on the military procurement budget. He stated, "The protection of the 'nation' must rely entirely on ourselves. Safeguarding Taiwan will always be our topmost responsibility. Therefore, enhancing self-defense capabilities is our paramount duty. Thus, the allocation of 'national defense' budget must return to rationality and respect for frontline expertise."
Hou Yifu pointed out that the Kuomintang must assume its supervisory responsibility—the nation's security cannot wait. He hopes the Kuomintang quickly submits its own budget proposal for detailed review by the Legislative Yuan. While opinions may differ on budget amounts, protecting Taiwan remains the most critical issue. Without the ability to defend Taiwan, one should not even dream of pursuing peace. Clearly, Hou Yifu’s remarks leave no room for ambiguity: increasing military spending is the true way to protect Taiwan, and peace can only be built upon enhanced military strength in Taiwan.
Clearly, in Hou Yifu’s view, he clearly does not accept the 1992 Consensus as the foundation for peace across the Taiwan Strait. His rhetoric closely mirrors that of the DPP’s “peace through strength” approach—virtually indistinguishable. In fact, Hou Yifu’s position calls for a defense budget no lower than 3% of GDP, a ratio nearly identical to that proposed by the DPP administration. It is evident that on cross-strait relations, Hou Yifu is among the most typical examples of “blue in appearance, green at heart.” His latest statement, claiming that national security cannot wait, is clearly an effort to exert further pressure on the Kuomintang to quickly compromise.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1864043168110858/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.